Fable III is every bit the logical conclusion to the series, and the culmination of creative director Peter Molyneux's quest to bring simplicity to the RPG genre.
Fable III A light shower
Successive Fable games have pared back the genre's defining traits to the point where Fable III's RPG credentials are tenuous at best. …

What is it with all this Peter Molyneaux fanboyism?

This man is so lauded for his über design skills, yet he's singularly failed to create anything that didn't reek of cliché since he sold Bullfrog to EA over ten years ago. (And even back then, the media was very quick to forget his rather less successful titles. ("Fusion", anyone? "Hi-Octane"?)

The screenshots of Fable III are *terrible*. Where's the attention to detail? Why the hell is everything so clean and tidy? Why is the hero's armour shining like a beacon in the night?

The script is puerile and tends towards 'homages' to Monty Python, you say? Explain, Molyneaux! How is this any more excusable than shoddy graphics or glitchy audio? There are plenty of damned fine writers out there, all gagging for the opportunity to be involved in a project like this! What the hell is Lionhead's excuse? And why is the review not tearing the game apart for its poor script? (I don't care how famous the actors are: without a decent script, you might as well have had the script read by random interns for all the difference it would have made to the *game*. Spend the money where it's most needed.)

If you're going to insist on this kind of undeserved arse-licking, at least have the decency to give Mark Healey some of the same treatment: He left Lionhead years ago, created "Rag Doll Kung Fu", then went on to found Media Molecule. (You know: the company behind "LittleBigPlanet".) Now THAT is what I call "creative directing".

The map... how annoying is the map!

I have no sense of direction. I need a GPS to find the bathroom in the dark. So in games like this, I rely on the map. It's no big thing normally - click a button, see where you are in relation to stuff, maybe zoom a bit. Move towards where you think you're going and life is good.

No. Now I have to jump back to some room and listen to Stephen Fry start talking. Then I have to walk to a table to see the map. Then choose the place I am. Surely that should be the default? Then zoom in. Then get a feel for things and go back to the world and try again.

No compass to let me know if I'm going the right way. This is going to take forever finish, and not in a good way.

Aww.

No Strength, Skill and Will and the choices and options between them that completely change your playstyle? But...that's the absolute core of the Fable games.

And no simple menu system to jump through to pick your options nice and simply? Sounds like a real PITA to get things done.

I'm now wondering if I should cancel my order. I like humourous aspects in the previous games, but sometimes it wasn't humour - it was just stupid and made me cringe, a feeling I don't like. I was hoping they'd step beyond pathetic things like 'friday is poker night' and 'oh, I'm so dreadfully evil and dark, don't you know' and make bad bad and good good.

Hmm, this may be worth a rental before a buy I think...or at least spend some time watching someone else play it. Sad to hear it's not extended the game depth. Sequels in stories, movies, books, games...are always better when the sequels gain in depth and complexity as the story goes on - otherwise the consumer gets bored.